SavvySugar

Website of the Day: WantsThis

GeekSugar — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:00:51 -0800

Whether or not you've made and distributed your holiday wish list, this new site is definitely worth checking out. WantsThis is a list site that allows you to add items from anywhere on the Internet to create your own personalized checklist. Sound familiar?

While the concept certainly isn't new, my favorite feature of the site displays itself after you sign in and create a profile; your wish list's URL is customized with your username, i.e., geeksugar.wantsthis.com. You can add items by typing them directly into the site, or by using the WantsThis bookmarklet, which you just drag onto your browser's toolbar. And, Firefox plugin is in the works. You're also able to import existing wish lists from sites like Amazon and NewEgg, and then add to them with your favorite new finds.

Do you have an interesting website you want to share? Create a PopSugar Account or log into your account. Then join the Website of the Day group where you can post your favorite website! And you never know, it could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Best of 2009: What's Your Favorite Home Décor Store This Year?

CasaSugar — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:00:17 -0800

As much as I love to fill my home with vintage wares and handmade items, it's hard not to shop at home décor chain stores. Their prices, sales, customer service, websites, and expansive inventory simply can't be beat. It's all a balancing act, and of course, no one wants their home to look like a catalog. But for the basics, a handful of national home décor stores are tried and true. Let me know which one is your favorite this year.

Did I leave out your favorite home décor store? Then join our Best of 2009 group in the CasaSugar Community and tell us about it there. And vote on all my Best of 2009 polls now!

Source

The ridiculousness that is Earth Day

syako — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:54:49 -0700

I can't be the only one who notices this. Every year on Earth Day we are bombarded by stores, blogs, newspapers, etc. to buy more stuff. "Buy more stuff," they cry. "We'll even give you special Earth Day discounts."

As I mentioned a little yesterday on the EPA thread , there is absolutely nothing wrong with being more eco-conscious. It doesn't matter where you stand on the climate change debate, the fact of the matter is, it won't hurt anyone to be more aware of your consumption habits.

Americans are rampant consumers. And sadly, this day that has been set aside- for almost 40 years now -to be mindful of the planet and the environment, has turned into yet another consumer-driven-free-for-all.

This morning I checked my "junk" email address inbox (you know, the one we all have that is where all the random things go) and, I kid you not, I had 15 emails from 15 different online retailers asking me, pleading me, to buy more stuff. Then I check the main Sugar boards and here's a scan of their Earth Day posts: Eight Places For Earth Day Freebies and Discounts (Today!), 6 Products to Keep Clean . . . and Green!, 7 Surefire Sustainable Seafood Options, In Honor of Earth Day: Movies That Make the Earth, Buy Sun Chips!... etc. etc.

All with the same message --- buy more stuff to be more green.

When will we all realize that the number one answer to taking care of our planet is not to buy more, it's to buy less. To consume less is to dispose less.

What are your thoughts? What does Earth Day mean to you, if anything? Are you doing anything special today?

the "Usefulness" of Bottled Water

tdamji — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:05:04 -0800

Source: http://frostfirezoo.com/the-usefulness-of-bottled-water

More reasons to enjoy Starbucks than its cappuccinos.

pinkflats — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:05:03 -0700

Starbucks is one of the well-known food/drink brand in the world. It's hot cup of cappuccinos or frappuccinos are consumed by millions. I bet you can find a Starbuck joint in the nooks and crannies of the world; that's how popular Starbucks is. As a regular customer, I was glad to hear that Starbucks is also going "green." Upon entering a Starbucks joint, customers can grab one of the "social responsibility" brochures by the counter. Inside the brochures the company informs its drinkers that their money is doing good to the environment.

Here are some of "green" facts from Starbucks:

1) SAVING ENERGY: Starbucks continues to upgrade the energy efficiency of store equipments and install more efficient technology at its coffee roasting plants. Starbucks has also advanced plans to study the energy usage in a sampling of its stores and use the results to make further adjustments.

2) ADVOCATING FOR COLABORATIVE ACTION: Starbucks placed full-pledge ad in The New York Times that highlighted the need for collective action to address climate change.

3) PAPER CUPS:

Newly designed paper cups made with 10% post-consumer recycled fiber became the new standard in its U.S. and Canada stores. The new cups will save an estimated 78,000 trees and reduce about 3 million pounds of solid waste in the first year of its use.

4) RECYCLING: Starbucks recycle waste products in 70% of its North American company-operated stores where Starbucks oversee waste and recycling. The efforts include recycling milk jugs, cardboard boxes and other waste products where commercial recycling collection services exist.
_______
(Source: Starbucks)

My Favorite Things: A Challenge

Whiplash — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:31:11 -0800

Since (1) it's been so dead around here and (2) the holidays are quickly approaching, I figured we should do a little challenge. Let's all make like Oprah and post a list of our favorite things that we'd give away if we were bazillionaire talk show hosts with awesome sponsors. All hail consumerism!!

Here are mine:

1. Urban Outfitters Faux Fur Trim Slippers with Studs

I have totally become one of those people who leaves the house in her slippers. To walk the dog, to go grocery shopping, whatever. These have rubber on the bottom so that you can wear them outside and they're shoe-looking enough that you can wear them with jeans and nobody will think that you escaped from the local loony bin. Most importantly, they are ridiculously comfortable.

2. Hayden Harnett Newman Hobo in Cognac

I've been searching for a great cognac bag ever since I realized that my current one was too small and I sold it on eBay. This one is perfect. It's on backorder (grrr) and I won't get it for a few weeks but I have three other Hayden Harnett bags and they're just fabulous. Sidenote: if you follow Hayden Harnett on Facebook and Twitter, you'll get some awesome deals that other people don't get. I ordered this bag for 60% off!

3. L'Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil

The skin on my arms and legs gets really dry in the winter. I read in the reviews on Sephora.com that some people are using this instead of a cream-based moisturizer, so I picked it up. It works really well - my skin isn't quite as dry. Even better, it smells AMAZING. And although it's an oil, it's absorbed into the skin really easily and doesn't feel greasy.

4. Chinese Laundry Turbo Boots

I've got these boots in black suede and grey suede, and I'm planning on getting them in black leather and the elusive cognac leather. They're incredibly affordable, extremely comfortable, and they go with everything. If you've been considering buying over-the-knee boots but are afraid you won't be able to pull them off, give these a try.

5. The Pioneer Woman Cookbook

We all know about this already so there's really no need for me to talk about how much the Pioneer Woman kicks ass. But seriously, just pick up this book.

6. Chartreuse Dress from Need Supply Co.

I don't actually own this but it's on my wish list. Seriously, how cute would this be worn over black opaque tights? Love.

7. Vintage Print Tote from Cutiemus

A girl can never have too many fabric shopping totes and I think that this one is so cheeky and cute. And cheap! It would make a great stocking stuffer.

8. Love Necklace from Etsy Seller PianoBenchDesigns

I've been using Etsy for a lot of my holiday shopping this year. I love that everything is handmade, special, and unique. While perusing Etsy for the boy's sisters-in-law, I came upon this little gem and snagged it for myself.

Savvy Links: How to Avoid Excessive Airline Fees

SavvySugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

How to avoid excessive airline fees when you travel. - Consumerism Commentary
Reader dilemma: "How can I throw a big party without going broke?" - Glamour
How your ex could destroy your credit. - Walletpop
Ask the readers: What do you do for frugal fun? - Get Rich Slowly
Taking credit card offers hurts your credit. - The Consumerist

My New Year Resolution is to Lose My Bottle – and Quit Coke

stephley — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:44:03 -0800

I'll try again this year...

by Johann Hari/UK Independent
01/02/09

By the time you read this, my head will be thump-thumping - but this is not a standard-issue New Year's Day hangover. No. My New Year's resolution is to finally give up my addiction to two liquids that are trashing the lives of some of the poorest people on earth: bottled water, and Coke. In 2009, I'm determined to lose my bottle.

There's nothing more tempting than to imagine our luxuries appear fully-formed on the supermarket shelf. It seems they come from nowhere, and when we toss them away, they disappear back to nowhere. It's disconcerting to break through this haze and trace them back to their origins. How can something so ordinary and omnipresent - something we all glug down daily - be destructive? But I have finally forced myself to read two new book-length exposés of my favourite drinks.

Since I was a teenager, I have thought drinking water comes in bottles. I don't know when I stopped using the tap. I never paused to think that it costs 10,000 times more to drink from bottles, or to read the shelves full of studies showing that tap water is just as healthy and impossible to tell apart in blind tastings. But I am not alone. Globally, we spend $60bn (£41bn) a year on bottled water. Its sales now surpass beer and milk.

In her book Bottlemania, the investigative journalist Elizabeth Royte traces one of the great scams of our time: why are we paying a fortune for something we have running almost-free into our homes? In 1929, Charles Kettering, the director of General Motors Research, outlined one of the rules of modern consumerism: "Keep the consumer dissatisfied." If the customer is happy with what they've already got, where's the profit? So the bottled water industry began to promote a series of myths. They claimed tap water was filthy, when in the US and Europe it is the safest drinking water on earth. They claimed you need to drink eight glasses of water a day, based on a garbled misreading of a creaky 1940s study. They falsely promised better health and taste.

If the only people being suckered were those of us dumb enough to buy the bottled water, this would be a minor-league scandal - but look at one of the primary sources of mineral water for the developed world: Fiji. Every day, a million litres of freshwater are pumped from an aquifer beneath a rainforest on Vitu Levu and shipped 10,000 miles to Europe and to the US. "This water may come from one of the last pristine ecosystems on earth," the adverts coo - without mentioning that it also helps to destroy it. By the time you factor in making the bottles and shipping this heavy liquid half-way round the world, every bottle of mineral water is - in effect - filled a quarter of the way up with petrol. The fizz might as well be greenhouse gases dissolving into the atmosphere.

And what of the people on the island of Fiji? While we merrily sip their water, a third of Fijians have no clean water at all. There are regular outbreaks of typhoid and dengue fever on the island, culling children and the elderly first.

The bottled water companies claim it is justifiable to take these people's water. They say they are carbon-neutral because they buy "carbon offsets". But as I've argued before, the evidence shows carbon offsets are a con - a way of salving our consciences, not the environment. Then they say they put money back into Fiji. But last July, the government there decided to introduce a tax on the bottled water being shipped off the island to pay for clean water for ordinary Fijians. The bottling companies went ballistic and threatened to shut down factories. The government gave up. The typhoid continues.

And what of my caffeine fix? I would have it running intravenously into my veins 24/7 if I could - but the comedian-activist Mark Thomas has persuaded me, in his excellent new book Belching Out The Devil: Global Adventures With Coca-Cola, that I have to find a different dealer to Coke.

In Carepa in north-western Colombia, Coca-Cola has a fairly typical bottling plant. Until 1994, the workforce was unionised, and successfully bargained for the basic workplace benefits we all want: bonuses, overtime and healthcare. But the corporation wanted to cut costs - and around the same time, the armed gangs arrived. The far-right militia the AUC presents itself as "the defenders of business freedom" in Colombia - they massacre trade unionists.

Soon after they showed up, Enrique Gomez Granado - one of the Coke-plant union leaders - was shot in the face on his doorstep, in front of his wife and kids. Five more union leaders were hunted down and murdered. There was, as Thomas puts it, "a campaign against the union at the Coca-Cola plant". The workers at the factory claim their plant manager would sit outside the factory with AUC paramilitaries, laughing and joking with them. Once the union was destroyed, the managers of the bottling plant promptly slashed the workers' wages: experienced workers went from earning $380 a month to $130.

At first, Coke said they weren't responsible for the behaviour of their subcontractors - even though they own a controlling share in this bottling company. Then they said "we take accusations regarding labour rights violations seriously". But in Carepa, Thomas found that "to this day, the Coca-Cola Company has not investigated the alleged links of Colombian bottling plant managers with the paramilitaries, despite a man being shot dead under their logo". Still the death-threats continue, pledging anyone "bad-mouthing the Coca-Cola Corporation... will be dealt with as they prefer: death, torture, cut into pieces, coup de grace. No more protests!"

This is not a lone horror-story. Thomas found children working for Coke contractors in El Salvador, and workers in Turkey beaten for trying to join a union. But the most striking story is from Plachimada, a village in Kerala, India. In the 1990s Coke opened a plant and began pumping half a million litres a day out of the underground aquifer. Suddenly the water in Plachimada's wells turned bad. A lab report for the BBC found it was now "so acidic it would burn up your insides. Clothes could tear in such water, food will rot, crops will wither". The village's children had to stop going to school and spend all day fetching water from far away.

As compensation, Coke's Indian subsidiary gave the local villagers their left-over industrial sludge to use as fertiliser. Incredibly, another test by the BBC found the "fertilizer" was filled with poisons. The doctors who examined it warned it could cause kidney failure or severe mental disability. Responding to this study, Sunil Gupta, Coca-Cola India's vice-president, said: "It's good for them because they are poor."

Yes, it will be annoying for me not to have my favourite drinks. But it's considerably more annoying to watch your children die of typhoid while your fresh water is being shipped off for the rich to quaff, or to be shot in the face for running a trade union. In 2009, I don't want to drink oil, or blood.

Meet the family who live on $44K a year - debt-free

bellaressa — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:05:46 -0800

The Economides clan of Arizona reveal how to recession-proof your finances
By Mike Celizic
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 9:26 a.m. CT, Thurs., Dec. 18, 2008

They’ve been called cheapskates, tightwads, misers, and just plain weird. But names that others would consider derogatory are embraced as badges of honor by Steve and Annette Economides.

The couple and their five children bill themselves as “The Cheapest Family in America” and “The Frugals.” On Thursday they showed TODAY viewers how they, too, can have everything they need and live debt-free in an expansive home in one of America’s tonier neighborhoods - on less than $45,000 a year.

“The economy is in a tailspin, and we’re just perfectly fine,” Annette Economides told TODAY’s Ann Curry in New York, adding, “I am the Warren Buffett of groceries.”

Rummaging the racks
Annette was joined in the studio by her husband, Steve, and three of their five children: Abbey, Joseph and Becky. Before talking with Curry, the five Economides watched a video of themselves doing their Christmas shopping in stores that specialize in bargains near their Scottsdale, Ariz., home.

Annette rummaged through racks of clothing marked down to the bare minimum for clearance. She inspected tchotchkes, remarking on the prices. Elsewhere in the store, Steve was looking through sporting goods, his face lighting up when he found a Nike volleyball for $2.50 - a perfect gift for Abbey.

At the checkout counter, Annette paid with cash. “Twelve items for $17.15,” she said proudly. The family’s total Christmas shopping bill this year was $90 for 27 gifts.

Their Christmas decorating budget was one dollar.

$8 jeans, $10 tux
Some kids, especially kids in their teens or 20s, might be embarrassed at such frugality, but Joseph, Becky and Abbey heartily approve of their parents’ respect for money and volunteered stories about their own bargain hunting.

Becky said she favors Lucky jeans, which average around $120 in retail stores. “I found a pair of Lucky jeans for eight dollars,” she said.

Not to be outdone, Abbey jumped into the conversation. “For me, eight bucks is expensive,” she said. “I have American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, Levi Strauss.”

“I was going to tell you about my new custom tux,” Joseph piped up. “Ten bucks.”

“They realize what life is about,” Abbey said of her parents. “It’s not consumerism. It’s not ‘How much does that stuff cost?’ It’s ‘Do I want it? Do I need it?’ ”

Steve compared the family’s outlook to the way Americans approached life in the days of “Little House on the Prairie.” “You learn to appreciate life and people more than you appreciate stuff,” he said. “You’ve got to focus on changing the perspective. It’s not always new, it’s not always expensive that says love.”

Budgeting for fun and profit
Steve and Annette Economides weren’t born to be cheap. Both have said that they were typical American kids who never thought about budgeting. But before they married 26 years ago, they took a financial planning course and decided to give budgeting a try.

“It started out as a game, and then became fun to play,” said Annette.

Breaking down their budget to 19 categories, they paid off their first house in nine years on an average income of $33,000 a year. Their second home, which they estimate to be worth more than $700,000, was purchased for more than $200,000 and is almost paid off.

They plan every meal before going to the grocery store, building their menu around specials and coupons. The monthly bill to feed a family of seven is $350.

They don’t buy on credit. They buy late-model used cars with cash. They also budget cash reserves for auto and home repairs so they never have to dip into reserves.

Today, the couple works from home, running their Web site, homeeconomiser.com, and traveling to spread the gospel of frugality to others. They also have a book, “America’s Cheapest Family,” that spent time on the New York Times best-seller list. Their average income over the past 26 years is $44,000.

Before they left, Becky told Curry about her latest purchase, a late-model Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.

“I’m saving five years for a truck,” she said. “I bought it for $11,500.”

She paid in cash.

For money-saving tips from the Economides family, visit homeeconomiser.com.

URL: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28295159/?GT1=43001

The History of Fashion: 1950 - 1960

x_juicyfruit — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:41:38 -0700

Optimism abounded during the post-war years of the 1950s. The focus was on the baby-booming family and being a good housewife which was the ultimate measure of success.

The United States had emerged victorious from another bitter war. Television was now in many households, and the TV culture of I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners reflected ideals of the time. Stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, and Elvis Presley introduced a smoldering sex appeal into an age of conservatism.

Consumerism became a popular pastime in the 1950s, as the post-war boom provided a sense of economic optimism. New gadgets and gizmos proclaimed the future was here and liberated women from many onerous household tasks. Homemaking, it seemed, was not so bad when you had electric stoves, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, and the like. Women could now concentrate on making a comfortable home for their families, and still have time to have a life outside of the kitchen.

The constant rounds of barbecues, cocktail parties, and other social events all required dressing up. Christian Dior’s 'New Look' influenced fashion, but so did the conservative elegance of Coco Chanel. Charles Jourdan introduced a new kind of shoe style, the stiletto heel, in 1951. As time went on the goal was for the slimmest possible heel, eliminating earlier "chunky" styles. The pump was the basic shoe, but its toes might be cut, the vamps curved or cut in enticing 'V's, or the heels molded into a variety of shapes. Every color of the rainbow was used; shoes were intended to match an outfit perfectly.

Men in the 50s seemed to be seeking more security (post war). Conservatism was the new catch phrase and this is especially reflected in the menswear of the early 1950s when the trim quiet look was in vogue. This was a distinct change from the late 1940s bright colors. Now dark colors and shades of blues, browns and gray took over the scene. In 1953 the gray flannel suit began its reign. It was in 1953 that President Eisenhower refused to bow to tradition at his inauguration and chose to wear a jacket and homburg with his striped trousers instead of the usual top hat and cutaway. Looking back on his decision, it now seems merely to be the choice of a man who wanted more informality and a less rigid way of dealing with ordinary affairs. In all actuality it was merely a ripple on the surface of what was to become a full scale revolt by the young. Elvis Presley was just waiting in the wings with his suede shoes!

Teenagers were basically the focal point of this era. Films such as 'Rebel without a Cause' were influential in how teenagers dressed. The Beatnik culture, inspired by authors such as Jack Kerouac, was also in vogue. Leather, Levi’s, and Converse sneakers helped create the look. Along with the famous circle and poodle skirts, ponytails, saddle shoes, penny loafers, and colored sneakers were popular with teenaged bobby-soxers. Sandals, ballet slippers, and other casual footwear became increasingly fashionable, as pool parties and other casual outdoor activities became popular.

Life at that point seemed idyllic to many, but a storm was brewing...

Source